Optimizing your party is key in any RPG, but in a game like Granblue Fantasy: Relink that incorporates over a dozen unlockable characters, it takes more work to find the right fit. You also need to deduce how useful each character is before deciding who to level up.
You can choose your party based on a number of factors in Granblue Fantasy: Relink, such as character design or preference from other games in the franchise. Even if you aren’t looking to build the best party in Granblue, the focus is always on the characters and how they work together in your four-man lineup.
Whether you already have a party in mind or want to use a few of the strongest fighters as the focal point of your next lineup, here are the best characters in Granblue Fantasy Relink and why they stand out.
Best Granblue Fantasy Relink characters
While there are some great combinations that are hard to beat or abilities that make characters more useful in certain situations, Granblue Fantasy: Relink is a game where every character can be viable if you build them properly or like their gameplay enough to make it work. That also makes it well worth unlocking every character in the game, so you have plenty of options to work with and test.
This list is more of a guideline for what strengths some characters have that make them stand out and where they will do the most work if you choose to use them, so don’t take it as gospel if you prefer to play to your own strengths.
1. Charlotta
Charlotta stands out as one of the most independent characters in the game. If you’re aiming to deal heavy damage while easily keeping yourself alive, she’s likely your top pick as she combines powerful offense with robust defense.
Her Invincible skill literally makes her invincible for a significant time, allowing her to withstand damage during boss phases filled with wide-reaching attacks. With Sword of Lumiel, she delivers impressive damage without moving, and she can enhance this by lowering enemies’ defense using Shining Onslaught. Königsschild ensures she receives much less damage from enemies, extending her survival in battles.
2. Cagliostro
Cagliostro might seem like a standard support character, but her Phantasmagoria Skill gives her an edge.
This skill boosts Attack, Defense, and Critical Rate for your entire party, no matter where they are. She’s unique in the game for having such a powerful team-wide buff that doesn’t need to be aimed, making it impossible to miss. Additionally, Cagliostro can significantly lower enemies’ Attack and strip away their buffs while healing and reviving allies. In essence, she’s like an enhanced version of Gran and Djeeta.
3. Percival
Percival ranks highly in this list for playing the role of a tanky DPS who can provide excellent support for the party. His standout feature is his debuff skill, X-Seele, which inflicts Petrify on enemies and lowers their Defense. This significantly slows enemies down and makes them more vulnerable to damage.
His buff skill, Flammenmarsch, enhances the Attack and Defense of the whole party without needing precise targeting, boosting overall damage output and defense. With the right build and skillful combo execution, Percival’s abilities, especially his charged heavy attack, Schlacht, can deal massive damage, making him a valuable asset for meeting the DPS checks of endgame content.
4. Gran and Djeeta
Gran and Djeeta have a unique spot in Relink for their incredible versatility. Their wide range of Skills lets you shape them into either excellent healers and support characters or powerful DPS to leverage the rare Wind-element damage.
Even as supports, you can choose to gear them towards offensive support with debuffs on enemies or defensive support with buffs for your team. While Cagliostro shines as a top support and other DPS characters may offer more steady damage, Gran and Djeeta are close competitors. They effectively offer the utility of several characters in one.
5. Vane
Vane is known for being a tanky DPS character and is one of the best in that role. And, while he is truly great at this role, what truly sets him apart from other tanks is his buff ability, Rampart.
Rampart casts a temporary invincibility bubble around him that protects all allies who stay inside from enemy damage and effects, which essentially lets your team bypass mechanics—like those of difficult Bloodlust boss stages such as Bahamut Versa. No other character can do this for their entire team, so Vane takes a spot in our “best of” list due to being the perfect character for organized play.
6. Lancelot
Lancelot is a simple character to utilize if you like dodging enemy attacks and controlling the flow of battle. He can dodge while attacking in some instances and has the ability to stun enemies with his ice—though your focus should probably be on the DPS parts of his build rather than the stuns.
Skills like Blade Impulse and Southern Cross combo easily so you can get in close and pull off fast, efficient, and powerful attacks without leaving yourself open to retaliation for long periods of time. Lancelot also has the benefit of an incredible self-buff in Blauer Dolch, which boosts his damage output and gives you an extra punch.
7. Io
Light magic go brrrr. Io is an early character that flows well between using magic to attack or support your party with a mix of Skills that let you live dangerously as you continue to optimize your build.
Mystic Vortex orbs appear for Io as you perform actions in combat, though you can max them out by using the Mystic Vortex Skill, too. With Io’s Quick Cast passive, you can just toss out your low cooldown spells like Freeze or Fire to deal damage and spread debuffs while building up to overwhelm the battlefield with your powerful waves of light.
